


mr. deep-sea anglerfish

by nanases_h



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Never Met, Halloween, M/M, Nanase Haruka & Tachibana Makoto & Tokyo, Nanase Haruka and Tachibana Makoto Don't Grow Up Together, haru is in a deep-sea anglerfish costume and mako is in a captain america suit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-09 14:01:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16451321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanases_h/pseuds/nanases_h
Summary: It was half past three in the morning of Halloween and somehow, Makoto found himself sitting in a fire escape balcony, having an existential conversation with a nameless guy hiding inside a deep-sea anglerfish costume.“I had fun talking to you tonight... Would you like to have coffee sometime?”





	mr. deep-sea anglerfish

**Author's Note:**

> i just had to whip this up at 12am after seeing this halloween AU prompt: deep conversations and wow i wonder what you look like under that scary mask. so i'm sorry if it's incoherent my dudes peace out

Makoto’s Halloween night had gotten weirder and weirder by the hour. 

Earlier, he took the train to Shinjuku with his friends Gou, Nagisa, and Rei— temporarily a flapper girl, a pumpkin, and a vampire for the occasion. And now, he was sitting in a fire escape balcony at half past three, having an existential conversation with a nameless guy hiding inside a deep-sea anglerfish costume. 

Makoto thought he had gotten used to the unusual after living in Tokyo for years, but it seemed that life would always take him by surprise. 

“I don’t even know what I’m doing. I mean… What am I doing?” 

He kept getting distracted. Every time he looked at him, he expected to see a _human_ face, not a big deep-sea anglerfish whose horrifyingly sharp teeth could possibly cut through Makoto’s spandex costume. 

Inside, the party was in full swing. Makoto was sure his friends were too busy bouncing and screaming to EDM music to notice he wasn’t there. Outside, the city was wide awake. People prowled the streets in their nightmare-inducing makeup and costumes, some of them talking very loudly while the others passed out from drinking too much. 

He swung his legs in between the balcony’s metal bars, canned beer in hand (he didn’t even _like_ beer). He’d told Mr. Deep-Sea Anglerfish that he felt like he was working for money that easily slipped through his fingers. Teaching was his passion and he loved his kids, oh god he _adored_ them so much, but some days he couldn’t help but ask _what’s the point of it all?_  

“That’s the question, isn’t it? Nobody really knows what they’re doing,” said Mr. Deep-Sea Anglerfish, his voice a bit muffled by his costume. “Get a job that you love some days, can tolerate most days, and still pays the bills. That’s what my grandma used to say.”

Makoto sighed. 

How did they even get to this topic? They were just talking about their costumes a while ago. 

Then, he remembered telling him why he was wearing a Captain America suit since 5pm. He worked as a kindergarten teacher, and Gou and Nagisa thought it was a brilliant idea to go trick or treating with his students around their tiny Meguro neighbourhood. The parents and the children loved his costume so much, they took about a million photos of him and posted on Facebook. Makoto had wanted nothing but to curl up behind his shield and disappear from the face of the earth. 

“You have a job, you pay your bills, you get to hang out with your friends, you seem to be doing just fine,” continued Mr. Deep-Sea Anglerfish. 

Makoto couldn’t help but imagine what he looked like underneath his odd and frightening onesie. Maybe he was a hippie university student, definitely from the arts department, with long, flowing hair. A cigarette stick would hang from his mouth if he wasn’t wearing a headgear. Or maybe he was decades older, a wrinkled man going through his midlife crisis…

“You’re young, you have a lot of time to figure things out. Just… be free,” said Mr. Deep-Sea Anglerfish. “You know?” 

Makoto smiled. “You’re a very wise deep-sea creature, I must say.” 

Mr. Deep-Sea Anglerfish turned away. 

“I’m really glad I met you tonight,” said Makoto.

It felt weird having a conversation like this without knowing his name, so he reached out a hand and said, “I’m Tachibana Makoto.” 

“Nanase Haruka.” 

They shook hands (or fins). 

“What?” asked Mr. Deep-Sea Anglerfish/Nanase Haruka when Makoto giggled. 

“It’s just… we both have girly names.” 

Mr. Deep-Sea Anglerfish whipped his head to the side again. 

“I had fun talking to you tonight.” 

A hum. 

Their conversation was approaching a dead end, and Makoto must save it. He sucked in a breath. It was now or never. 

“Would you like to have coffee sometime?” 

“Sure.” 

Makoto’s heart was threatening to jump out of his chest. His hands were clammy with sweat. “How about tomorrow?” 

“You mean later?” 

“Yeah.”

Nanase Haruka shrugged. “Okay,” he said. “Let me sleep and freshen up a little bit first.”  

They exchanged numbers. Makoto’s phone was an old, crappy one that was better for shaving ice than texting or calling, but suddenly, it felt like his most valuable possession at the moment. 

“Haru!!!” 

Nanase Haruka looked over his shoulder. “My friends are calling me. I gotta go.” 

“Okay.” 

But before he left, he unzipped his scary-looking headgear. He shook the strands of ink-black hair away from his face, revealing the bluest eyes Makoto had ever seen, that shone bright even in the dark. 

“That’s better,” said Nanase Haruka with a faint smile. 

Makoto’s heart clenched as his brain alerted, _oh no he’s cute._  

He swallowed. “Bye.” 

“See you later, Makoto.” And with that, he jumped into the window and ghosted to the party. He took one last look at Makoto and waved goodbye. 

Makoto clutched his phone inside his pocket to calm the wild beating of his heart. His Halloween night had gone from weird to existential, to exciting. 

He would replay their conversation in his head until he saw Nanase Haruka again.  

**Author's Note:**

> hit me up on [Tumblr](http://nanases-h.tumblr.com)


End file.
